


Pristine Perfection

by supernovainparadise



Series: Installing Humanity [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Twins, Gen, Hank Anderson is Connor and Upgraded Connor | RK900's Parent, It's Niles, M/M, Pre-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Resurrection, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:47:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22698886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernovainparadise/pseuds/supernovainparadise
Summary: Connor Anderson's life was cut brutally short by nothing more than bad luck. So when he awakens in an unfamiliar environment, in an unfamiliar body, he knows that everything he thought he knew about himself and about Detroit is about to change.
Relationships: Connor & Elijah Kamski, Connor & Gavin Reed, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Connor/Gavin Reed, Hank Anderson & Connor
Series: Installing Humanity [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1631152
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34





	Pristine Perfection

Connor opens his eyes to white.

White walls, white machinery, white light. It's sterile and empty, and Connor wonders if this is what the afterlife is like. If this is what comes after death. He hears a door open, and the sound of heels clicking on the tile. He turns his head, but the movement is... odd. Stilted.

Mechanical.

After a moment, a young woman came into his field of vision. She had long blonde hair, soft blue eyes, and an LED at her temple. Not a woman then; an android. She smiled at him and reached over to a panel next to her, and whatever was holding Connor still releases him, and he stumbles a little bit. She reaches out, gently steadying him. Her hand is soft and surprisingly warm. She offers him a gentle smile as he stands straight, and frowns down at himself. The outfit he's wearing is entirely white and made of some soft, synthetic material. A pair of pants, a half-sleeved shirt, and bare feet. It's... comfortable, he supposes. But he imagines everything here is comfortable.

Connor turns to her with the intention of asking where he is, what's going on, and if he's...

If he's really dead.

Just as he turns to her, barely holding back the torrent of questions on the tip of his tongue, the door opens again, and this time the face that steps through is familiar, in a way that makes his heartache. He turns from the android, and the man looks up.

And smiles.

"Hello, Connor."

"E... Eli?"

Elijah Kamski smiles at him, then turns to the android. "Thank you for your notification, Chloe. And for your help. I need to explain some things to Connor, but let me know if there is something you need."

"Of course, Elijah." The android smiles once more, before turning and leaving the room.

Elijah motions for Connor to follow him, and leads him into a quiet and surprisingly comfortable space off the room they were just in. One of the walls is almost entirely windows, opening to a gorgeous view of the river and the skyline of the city beyond it. Although the decorations were sparse, there was a plush rug underfoot, and the chair he sits in next to Elijah is warm and comfortable. But the coziness of the space does not erase the odd feeling he has in the back of his head, and the uncomfortable atmosphere between them.

Connor stares out the window for what feels like hours, before finally turning to Elijah and asking the one thing that had been on his mind since he woke up. "Am I dead? Is this death?"

Elijah frowns and leans back, putting his palms together and staring out at the river. "Yes and no." Elijah stands, and steps closer to the view. "Your original body is... gone. You were killed and it ceased to function." Elijah turns towards him, gesturing with his hands. "But do you remember that memory experiment I had you do for me a while back?"

"Yeah, something about electricity and neurons?" Connor says, sighing. "You haven't answered my question, Eli."

"That experiment was... more than just a neural reading. I copied your memories in the process, and..." Elijah takes a deep breath and clasps his hands behind his back. "And I was able to successfully transfer that copy from electricity to binary."

Connor sits there for a moment, letting Elijah's words filter through his head, before slowly standing so that he is at equal height with the man. "I'm no longer human, am I?"

Elijah bites his bottom lip but doesn't step back, despite the sudden change in the atmosphere and the aggression in Connor's posture. "No. You are an android; a perfect replica of Connor Anderson. You look like him, sound like him, and have his memories. You _are_ him, all that's really changed is your body; and after all, the human body is completely replaced every 7 years."

The room is completely silent, and Connor is fairly certain that in that silence he can hear some internal component of his whirring, working to keep him upright and thinking.

"At what cost?" Connor asks, breaking the quiet.

"None; you can still eat and drink, sleep, have sex, exercise-"

"There's always a cost, Elijah," Connor says quietly. "What is it this time?"

Elijah takes a deep breath and looks directly into Connor's eyes. "Your mortality. You will never age, you will never grow old, you will never get sick. You are almost completely immortal. The only downside is that your systems will eventually corrode, but not for at least 200 years."

Connor presses his lips together, trying to resist the sudden flow of anger and frustration darting through him. "There has to be something illegal about this."

"Making you into an android? Not that I know of; this is the first time anyone has-"

"How about conducting unethical experiments without informed consent, Eli?" Connor hisses, stepping closer to the other man. "What _the fuck_ were you thinking?"

Elijah raises his hands in defense and takes a slow step back. "I was thinking that I could you more time."

"Elijah..." Connor starts, frowning. "What is this really about? You wouldn't bend the rules like this without reason, and I don't think resurrecting people is a good enough reason for you to risk your entire career." Connor suddenly smirks. "Though maybe you've just gotten used to playing God."

Elijah purposefully ignores the last comment and turns to gesture out at the city. "There's been a recent problem, here in Detroit. Androids suddenly acting up, acting differently... Cyberlife's higher-ups have taken to calling these androids 'deviants', and they fear that they may have the ability to take over and overrule humanity. They need someone to stop this before it's too late. Before this becomes a much bigger problem." Elijah turns to look at Connor, who's frowning at him again. "So they came to me and asked me to build an android whose purpose would be entirely to stop the deviants. I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone; I'd see if I could implant a human's memory into an android, and also create something capable of stopping a revolution in its tracks."

"And you think I can do that?" Connor asks, crossing his arms. 

"You were one of the best detectives in Detroit, Connor. And beyond that, you were someone that I trusted. I can't think of anyone better." Elijah smiles. "You'll be assigned to your old precinct again; figured it would be easiest for you to work with people you already knew as opposed to having to adjust to a new environment while working the case. You may physically be an android, but your conscience is mostly human."

"How exactly am I supposed to go about doing this?"

"Simple; find the root cause of deviancy, and end this where it began." Elijah splays his hands out as he says this, and then turns to Chloe, who stepped into the room when Connor wasn't paying attention. "Bring Connor here some more appropriate clothes, will you? And then call an automated taxi. He's got some work to do."


End file.
